Nine electric buses were destroyed by a fire in a parking lot in Taichung City in the early hours of this morning, Monday, October 21. The Taichung City Fire Department received reports of buses on fire at a parking lot on Jinghe Street in Beitun District at around 2:00 am. A total of 21 fire trucks and 46 personnel were dispatched to battle the blaze. Firefighters said the fire was fierce due to lithium ion batteries. The fire was brought

A US Navy guided missile destroyer and a Canadian Navy frigate passed through the Taiwan Strait on a routine mission yesterday, Sunday, October 20, six days after a Chinese military drill which simulated a blockade of Taiwan. According to a press release by the US 7th Fleet, the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Higgens (DDG 76) and Royal Canadian Navy Halifax-class frigate HMCS Vancouver (FFH 331) conducted a routine Taiwan Strait transit “through waters where high-seas freedom of navigation

Chinese military forces have surrounded Taiwan in what the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is calling a military drill intended as a warning against “separatist acts of ‘Taiwan Independence’ forces”. Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence (MND) condemned the exercises as “irrational and provocative.” China’s PLA said that the drills, dubbed “Joint Sword-2024B,” are taking place in the Taiwan Strait, and in areas north, south, and east of Taiwan Island. PLA spokesman, Captain Li Xi, said that the drills are focused on

Typhoon Krathon dissipated after striking the southwestern coast of Taiwan yesterday, but the northern end of the island continued to be inundated with rain, as northeast monsoonal winds combined with the remnant low pressure system. Keelung City and mountain areas in New Taipei City experienced flooding and landslides, blocking some roads and railway lines yesterday and this morning, Friday, October 4. Accumulated rainfall in Keelung City yesterday reached 408 millimeters, breaking a historical record for daily rainfall in the locality,

Thousands of residents have already reported power outages, and there are reports of fallen trees, traffic lights, and power lines, with Kaohsiung City bearing the brunt of Typhoon Krathon, as the eye of the storm approaches the coast of southwestern Taiwan this morning, Thursday, October 3. National power supplier Taipower said that 109,588 households across the country have experienced power outages since yesterday. Around 82% have already been repaired as emergency crews have been dispatched to immediately respond to reports.

Typhoon Krathon weakened slightly overnight, and forecasts have revised time of landfall in southwestern Taiwan to late tonight, Wednesday, or early tomorrow, Thursday. As of 9:00 am, Krathon was located 160 kilometers southwest of Kaohsiung City, moving north-northeast at 10 kilometers per hour. Typhoon Krathon weakened from a severe to a moderate typhoon as it hovered southwest of the port city of Kaohsiung, sucking in a stream of cool, dry air flowing southward over the Taiwan Strait, While the reduction

A bulk carrier ran aground on Orchid Island, off the east coast of Taiwan, this afternoon, and authorities are concerned of a possible oil spill as Super Typhoon Krathon bears down on the area. Keelung Coast Radio received a distress call from the crew of the 43,500-ton, Barbados-flagged vessel, Blue Lagoon, at 4:28 am, Monday. The crew reported that the ship was taking on water, the engine room was flooded, and the ship was beginning to list. Taiwan’s National Airborne

A police officer was dragged to his death after attempting to stop a suspect from driving away from a vehicle inspection in Tucheng District, New Taipei City, last night, September 30. According to reports, Liu Tsong-Hsin, Chief of the Qingshui Police Station, was on a routine patrol when he noticed an illegally parked vehicle on Jincheng Road at around 11:00 pm. Liu approached the car, which was driven by a 30-year-old woman named Chen. Chen was known to police, having

Typhoon Krathon intensified into a severe typhoon in the early hours of Tuesday morning, and continued to strengthen as it hovered south of Taiwan’s second-largest city, poised to strike the heavily-populated southwest coast tomorrow, according to weather bureau forecasts. According to Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration, at 6:00 am, Krathon was located at latitude 20.7 degrees north, longitude 119.8 east, around 180 kilometers southwest of Point Eluanbi. After reaching the level of strong typhoon at 2:00 am this morning, the storm

Tropical Storm Krathon strengthened into a typhoon Sunday, and is on a heading to make landfall at the southern tip of Taiwan, according to Central Weather Administration forecasters. The CWA upgraded the storm to a typhoon Sunday morning, a few hours after issuing a maritime warning for waters south and southeast of Taiwan. At 2:30 pm, Sunday, Krathon was located 430 kilometers southeast of Taiwan’s southernmost tip, Point Eluanbi. Krathon was moving west-northwest at 9 kilometers per hour. The storm

A tropical depression east of the Philippines intensified into a tropical storm this morning, September 28, and is expected to reach typhoon status, and affect Taiwan’s weather from Monday through Thursday. According to Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration (CWA), the tropical depression TD22 intensified into this year’s 18th named tropical storm, Krathon, at 8:00 am this morning. Krathon was located at 18.5 north, 125.4 east, moving south-southwest at 11 kilometers per hour. Krathon has a central air pressure of 998 hPa,